The U.S. Embassy will display an exhibit of sculptures, paintings, photographs and graphic works as part of Ambassador and Mrs. Pardew’s Honorary Patronage this year of the National Ballet of Sofia. The exhibit entitled “Elegance in Motion” is made up of works by ten Bulgarian artist who have spent the past year observing the rehearsals and performances of the National Ballet. The artists displaying works are: Edmond Demirdjian, Safer Galibov, Lyuben Genov, Ivo Hadjimishev, Dessislava Mincheva, Emil Mirchev, Ivan Moskov, Emil Popov, Yavora Petrova and Snejana Simeonova.

Action: Contemporary Art Boryana Rossa works in public collections

17 May 2005 - 05 June 2005

The purpose of the “Action: Modern Art” is to supply the newly established collection “Modern Art and Photography” and to promote the latest trends in Bulgarian art. The Sofia Art Gallery staff are convinced that the mission of their institution is to appraise, select and store the best examples from the past and the present day of art. In our circumstances this function is even more important given the lack of a Museum of Contemporary Art. Several generations of artists have been employing the new means of expression for some twenty years now, however, their works have not been and are not included in museum collections. This disturbing fact inspired our vigorous effort to conserve this art. Unfortunately, because of shortage of money we have to rely on donations from artists. The exceptionally valuable donation “Vanitas” of Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova was displayed within the framework of this project in October 2005.

The Sofia Art Gallery is now happy to report about its new gift acquisition from the artist Boryana Rossa. The donation includes 18 digital photographs and four videos. The exhibition “Boryana Rossa in Public Collections” will display part of the donation.

The series “The, Good, the Bad, the Ugly”, 2001 (5 digital color photographs) is Boryana Rossa’s comment on the status of the woman in the post socialist society where she lives outside the extremity of radical feminism; in her vision “the blood of the revolution gushes into the red color of the lipstick”. “Cloning” (1997) is an emblematic work, which illustrates the risks of cloning in a perfect way. “I’ve Lost…” (2002) is a series of four photographs that are a remake of the little known erotic photography of the 1950s. The reinterpretation and modernization of the profane image, which the artist’s effort has transformed into an apotheosis of female slavery – into a violent feminist proclamation, provokes, if not laughter, at least a bitter smile. In “Are You Happy? Yes, I’m Happy!” (two photographs) Boryana Dragoeva-Rossa exults over being a woman.

Boryana Rossa is one of the most interesting and radically minded young artists from the past decade. Her vocation fields are the video, photography and performance. Her works are displayed at dozens of exhibitions in and outside Bulgaria; she participates in international seminars and workshops as one of the distinguished new figures in modern Bulgarian art.

Photo exhibition "Strandja"

12 May 2005 - 05 June 2005

The exhibition displays 15 Bulgarian photographers who have participated in the Strandja 2004 Photo Expedition. It is part of a series of projects that the 41T Ltd. produced in the past few years within the framework of an extensive exploration of the Strandja region. The exploration covers the Strandja Mountains natural sites, the local architecture, the local people and their customs, beliefs and traditions. A CD is to be released with records of folk music from Strandja.

The photo expedition was organized in August-September 2004 with help from the Swiss Cultural Program in Bulgaria and support from Hewlett Packard. The members of the expedition were: Ana-Mati, Asya Ivanova, Vesselina Nikolaeva, Georgi Doumanov, Evgeni Koevski, Emil Bouzatov, Ivo Hadjimishev, Irina Papazova, Kalina Goranova, Mario Krastev, Nadezhda Pavlova, Rossen Manchev, Svetoslav Karadjov, Simeon Svilenov and Yassen Zahariev. They were free to visit and shoot unique but otherwise restricted areas of the Strandja Mountains. The outcome was a plentiful and diverse production of photos, which were displayed at the Strandja Photo Exhibition and included in the Strandja Photo Album, which was sponsored by Lukoil Bulgaria. The exhibition was intended to attract the public attention to the region, which is on the bottom of the population density table, to the culture, traditions, people and scenic nature so that the Strandja Mountains could become a really listed area.

Courtesy should be extended to the Sofia Art Gallery, the Swiss Cultural Program in Bulgaria, Lukoil Bulgaria, Damyanitsa Winery and 41T Ltd. for making this photo exhibition possible.

DIMITAR KIROV a jubilee year ...1953-2003...

10 May 2005 - 05 June 2005

Dimiter Kirov- Dikiro will celebrate his seventieth anniversary on 20 May 2005. On this occasion, the painter is exhibiting selected paintings, created during the period 1953- 2003, in the Sofia City Art Gallery. The majority of them belong to the author.
The painter was born in Istanbul. In 1959, he graduated in Monumental Painting from The Sofia City Academy of Arts with Professor Georgui Bogdanov. He works and lives in Plovdiv. He is an honorary member of the ‘Nika Kai’ Group of Japanese Painters.
His first steps in painting have coincided with the period of the bright and ardently disputed new gropings of Bulgarian expressive art. Together with his young colleagues, friends and fellow-citizens Hristo Stefanov, Georgui Bojilov, Yoan Leviev and Encho Pironkov, he founded an artistic society which we still call ‘The 60’s School of Plovdiv’.
Figurativeness and abstract complement each other in the style of Dimiter Kirov. He decomposes the actual shape in order to build new shapes in his own way. In the years, his creative work has become thematically connected with several cycles offering rich expressive and plastic opportunities- music and ballet, different layers (historic and cultural), burnt icons.
He has tens of decorative-monumental works of art in his biography and also over 40 exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad. His works of art are owned by the National Gallery of Art, the Sofia City Art Gallery, galleries in the country, museums and private collections in Bulgaria, Armenia, Belgium, Venezuela, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Canada, Cyprus, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan.
He has won prestigious state and painters’ awards among which: The Sofia City Award - 1967; The Great Prize of the Town of Plovdiv- 1967; the Award named after Vladimir Dimitrov Maistora for the ‘Requiem for the Samuil Warriors’ - 1981; The ‘Zahari Zograf’ Great National Prize– 1983; The ‘Zlatyui Boyadjiev’ Great National Prize – 1986, etc.
Without prudery, the painter says: „Those who think I am a millionaire are right. I really am a millionaire as I have the largest collection of paintings by Dimiter Kirov.”